East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Part Two, Chapters 18–22

Part Three, Chapters 23–26, page 2

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Summary: Chapter 23

In 1911,
Samuel is stricken with grief after his favorite daughter, Una,
dies shortly after moving to a remote area of Oregon with her husband.
When the Hamilton children visit Samuel and Liza for Thanksgiving,
they notice that the previously youthful Samuel has suddenly aged
significantly. The children devise a plan get their parents off
the ranch by taking turns hosting them for long periods of time.
Tom disapproves of the plan, saying it indicates to the aged Samuel
that his life is essentially over. The other children, however, like
the plan and present the idea to Samuel as though it were a vacation.
Samuel accepts the plan but confides to Tom that he sees through
it and realizes that his children are helping him transition into
old age.

Summary: Chapter 24

“[T]he Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’—that
gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world.
That says the way is open”

Before he leaves his farm to stay with his children, Samuel
goes to see Adam Trask. Samuel talks to the twins, now eleven years
old, and reflects upon the fact that the easygoing Aron (he has
dropped the first A in Aaron) reminds him of Abel and the closemouthed Caleb
reminds him of Cain.

Samuel, Adam, and Lee discuss the biblical story of Cain
and Abel. Lee says that he has been troubled by a discrepancy in
the story that arises from two different translations of the Bible—according
to one translation, God promises Cain that he will
overcome sin; in another translation, God orders Cain
to overcome sin. According to Lee, the Hebrew word in question is timshel. After researching
the matter for several years, Lee has determined that timshel means
“thou mayest.” Lee considers this translation of timshel to
be an extraordinary revelation, as it implies that God has given
human beings the choice of whether or not to overcome
sin—essentially giving humans the freedom to choose their course
in life.

The men go for a walk, and Samuel asks Adam if he is happy. Adam
does not answer. Samuel, hoping to force Adam to forget about Cathy,
reveals to Adam that Cathy runs the most depraved whorehouse in
the entire valley. Overcome with shock, Adam hurries away.

Summary: Chapter 25

Samuel Hamilton dies of old age. After the funeral, Adam
goes to Cathy’s brothel. As soon as he sees that Cathy is no longer
beautiful and that she is actually a monster, Adam realizes that
he finally can put her out of his mind. When he tells her as much,
she responds that he is wrong to condemn her for her views, for
there is nothing but depravity and evil in the world.

Cathy shows Adam photos of some of the most powerful and important
men of the Salinas Valley performing sadomasochistic sex acts with
her whores, and she brazenly admits to blackmailing the men with
the pictures. As Adam rises to leave, Cathy suddenly panics, feeling
him slip away—she even offers to sleep with him. When Adam shudders
in disgust, Cathy cruelly claims that Charles is the twins’ real
father, for she slept with Charles on the night of her marriage
to Adam. Adam says that he does not believe her and that it does
not matter anyway, even if she is telling the truth.

Actually, the narrator is John Steinbeck. Olive Hamilton is married to a Steinbeck and the novel often mentions the "Steinbeck House" and her husband and children. It's supposed to be an ironic little pun he puts in there.